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Twitching??!!

missfrosty1 wrote:

My 6 week old Jaxon has this weird twitch thing. Usually when he stretches his legs, one of them will twitch about 3-4 times. He also does this with his jaw at random times. In the hospital the nurses called him Twitchy, which makes me believe that it is not normal. The doc said it's because of an immature nervous system, but when will he grow out of it? It always scares me and I wonder if it's not something more.

@missfrosty1 some babies do it more than others but its def normal.. they normally grow out of it by 3 months.. it will slow down when he is 2 months.. zach is 7 1/2 wks and his little jaw goes 90miles a min sometimes but the MORO reflex what you are talking about has died down

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Tammy1031

Brooked arms and feet do this! We've been worried bout it! Her gramie said it's normal and she had seen it before so we haven't called dr or anything. She also is 6 weeks :)

All babies have involuntary reflexes which are part of the natural development of their nervous systems. The Moro reflex, for example, causes your baby to jerk suddenly and fling his arms out to the side â€“ often waking himself from sleep in the early months. By the time he is six months old this reflex will disappear, but while he has it, it is actually helping in the development of his muscles and his nervous system.

You will be familiar also with the Rooting reflex, which causes your baby to â€˜huntâ€™ for the nipple or teat when hungry, and the Sucking reflex, necessary for your baby to feed. These, and other, involuntary reflexes are normal and, indeed, essential in the development of your baby. Compulsive or involuntary movements of the body are often nothing more than an expression of a primitive reflex, and are nothing to worry about.

Another type of jerking or twitching movement is called a Myoclonic spasm. These spasms also occur in adults, and are similar to the jolt you sometimes have through your body just as you are falling asleep. In babies, these jerks can happen when they are asleep or when they are awake, and often take the form of a shiver-like movement, or even spasms of the whole body.

These spasms are normal and are usually completely harmless, unless they are accompanied by any loss of consciousness. If they happen with a regularity you find distressing, however, do get your baby checked out. Your doctor will send your baby for EEGs and an MRI scan. If the results donâ€™t indicate any loss of consciousness (associated with epilepsy â€“ see below), or any abnormalities, then the Myoclonic spasms are nothing to worry about and your baby will usually grow out of them by the time she is two years old.

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MamaMetal19189

@missfrosty1 Katie's mouth still does this sometimes. I worried about it but I too heard it was normal, just their little bodies growing and everything learning to function properly.

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kat166

Matthew's right hand does this and Dr says it is normal no concern at all. He will grow out of it

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